Am J Psychiatry 1982; 139:769-773
Copyright © 1982 by American Psychiatric Association
A critique of the process-oriented approach to ward staff meetings
RC Abrams and JA Sweeney
Interdisciplinary staff meetings with a group-process orientation are a
common feature of inpatient psychiatric wards. In these meetings an attempt
is made to elicit and resolve intrastaff conflicts. Often the hierarchy of
administrative structure is suspended and a setting reminiscent of a
therapy or T-group is created. Insufficient attention has been paid to the
potential hazards of and varying indications for this process-oriented
approach to staff meetings. The authors reassess the usefulness of these
meetings in improving staff relations and clinical performance and suggest
guidelines for tailoring their use to fit the ward's therapeutic
objectives.
